Hi Carol,
Well, the Laserwriter is a beast! Quite a few are still working in
businesses, but you won't hear about it.
To determine the problem with the SE, you would need to remove the case
cover and that requires a Torx screwdriver or bit (T-20, I think) that
has a about an 8" shaft so it will reach all the way to the two screws
at the top of the case. If, by chance, you should have such a tool then
you could remove the case top and, without touching anything else (could
be high voltage like a TV), turn off any lights and determine if there
is a red glow in the rear end of the picture tube - that's near the
connector. If there's a red glow, it probably means that the picture
tube is OK. If the tube is OK, then probably you would need to replace
the high voltage transformer (called a flyback transformer) and the
component board on which it is mounted. The flyback is the one that has
the thick wire attached to the middle of the picture tube.
The Imagewriter is probably good for parts or even fixable. The
Laserwriter - I'm assuming it's the big heavy one - may work if none of
the parts are corroded (moisture is not good for electronics and cable
connections.) It's best to use a new cartridge. The laser should get
cleaning and maintenance which is replacing a few old parts but if it
does not turn on, then it may need a new power supply and those could be
hard to get. Maintenance kits - should be able to get from the
theprinterworks (google). When working, the big Laserwriter will draw
about 900-1000Watts, so it's power hungry. The laser could be very
dirty, so protect yourself and your clothing from the cartridge dust.
If on your clothes, DO A COLD WATER WASH first. Heat sets the dust and
would require many hot washes to remove, and could still have a stain.
Good luck. Shipping will be a pain unless you can get a local sale.
Sell the software separately if you must - it's probably more valuable
than the hardware - possibly except the laser. When working and in good
condition, the laser is pure workhorse, more robust than any new laser
on the market today and easier to repair. The weakest point is the
power supply, not because it is weak, but they do break and it's hard to
find a replacement (which has been cheap and easy) and possibly more
difficult to fix. Beware of aftermarket parts, use OEM wherever
possible. Maintenance kits usually did come with instructions; some
careful work is required, but simple and easy (however messy) for those
so inclined.
Hope that helps.
Jon
On 07/27/2015 10:13 AM, Carol Mcgill wrote:
Hi, this is my first post so please excuse any mistakes I make. I
have a Mac SE which I used to use regularly up until 15 years or so
ago. It was put in the attic and has moved house twice with us, until
today when I decided to give it a go. It has Claris Works installed
and I also have SoundMaster so I can tell it's working. There is a
beep on startup, you can hear the hard drive working and then when
it's ready it announces, courtesy I think of Leslie Nielsen, "Nice
Beaver!". After a while Clint Eastwood says to me "Hi there,
everybody" so it's still working at that point. The problem is I
can't see anything as the monitor is not lighting up. Are there any
tips for attaching a monitor or am I wasting my time? Is there
anybody who would be interested in buying it without the monitor
working? I have the original mouse, keyboard, microphone and also and
imagewriter printer that stopped working (dot matrix) as well as a
Laser Writer which is in my garden shed so unlikely to be working but
it's possible. I have all the original cables, operating system disks
and booklet for Claris Works. I would really like to get it going
though. I also have an old Opus computer with 5.25" winchester hard
drive that I'm trying to get to work but that's another story. Thanks
in advance for any help you can give.
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